The true measure of success is value added to others...

This morning I got up at 5.15 in the morning, not out of a free will, but because one of my kids decided that it was morning and it was time to wake up. In the living room, I turned on the TV and watched teaching on having a successful life in which John Maxwell was teaching... he said a lot of smart stuff, including a sentence that remained on my mind for a while: "The true measure of success is value added to others."

Now, if you chew that sentence for a while (as I have been doing), it is totally the opposite of living an egoistic life. Where I often think that everything is about me and I measure success by how much money I have in the bank (or in my crypto-wallet). I often do the mistake of using that definition of success as well. To be honest, I do consider a successful business in which I make money to be a success as well, but there is more to success than just me. And that is why I have chewed upon this sentence throughout the day and I will keep on chewing upon it for a while (I think).

If I want to be successful, I have got to mean something to other people. If I want to be successful, I need to have a positive influence on the people around me. In other words, it takes the main focus away from me and places the focus on the people around me instead. That is quite interesting, and I guess it is a lesson I needed to hear this morning around 5.30 before I even woke up for real.

How can I add value to others?

I guess it is all about seeing the people around me and seeing opportunities to share positive words, speak out encouragement, and instead of expecting everything to be centered around me, I take the focus off myself, and start seeing the people around me instead.

And yes, that brings me to something I read in another book here the other day which I liked really well.

"Treat your employees the way you want them to treat your customers." Now, that is a golden rule for business owners with employees. And if you do not have employees, it is a nice rule for family life... treat your kids the way you want them to treat others, speak to the people around you in the way you want them to speak to the people around them. So, are you having a positive impact on the world?

Hope I didn't bore you too much with my philosophical thoughts about life! Have a wonderful day!